Stewart gets Kaulig call-up for NASCAR Truck Series' Talladega race

Tony Stewart will make a second start in the Craftsman Truck Series this year for Kaulig Racing at Talladega Superspeedway.

The organization announced Thursday that Stewart, a three-time Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer, will again be in the free agent truck for his return. The No. 25 Ram 1500 has had a host of drivers behind the wheel all season, with Stewart kicking things off at Daytona International Speedway for the season opener in February.

“Anytime you can get into a Ram truck and go racing at a place like Talladega, you jump at it,” Stewart said. “Daytona in February was a blast, but this trip focuses on having fun while helping Kaulig Racing learn and build their notebook on superspeedways. Ram has put a tremendous amount of heart into this NASCAR. If my experience helps this team sharpen its drafting package and speed up the learning curve, everyone wins.”

Stewart did not finish the race at Daytona and only completed 39 laps because of a crash. It was the first NASCAR national series race he had run since 2016. He is now a full-time driver in NHRA Top Fuel competition.

In his NASCAR career, Stewart earned two wins at Talladega Superspeedway. It was one win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in the spring of 2008 and a Cup Series win in the fall of 2008. The latter came when Regan Smith was penalized for passing Stewart under the yellow line in the tri-oval on the final lap.

This will be the first time Stewart has run a Truck Series race at Talladega.

“Bringing Tony back behind the wheel of the Ram 1500 at Talladega brings incredible energy to our entire team and NASCAR fans everywhere,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of American Brands, SRT Performance, North American Marketing and Retail Strategy at Stellantis.

"That's exactly what our Free Agent program is all about. We built it to put proven competitors in Ram trucks, let them push the limits, create real-world feedback, and give fans what they came for. Tony is a Hall of Famer and a racer through and through.

“Seeing 'Smoke' back on the high banks at NASCAR's biggest track is going to be a show."